Girls' Day School Trust facts for kids

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Girls' Day School Trust

Abbreviation	GDST
Formation	1872
Type	Non-governmental organisation
Purpose	Educational accreditation
Headquarters	London, SW1
Region served	England and Wales
Chief Executive	Cheryl Giovannoni
Patron	The Duchess of Gloucester

The Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) is a group of 25 private schools in England and Wales. These schools are for girls aged 3 to 18. The GDST is the largest group of private schools in the UK. It helps educate about 20,000 girls every year. It started in 1872 to offer good, affordable day-school education for girls. Back then, it was called the Girls' Public Day School Company. Later, it became the Girls' Public Day School Trust.

The GDST is a registered charity. This means it works to help people and does not make a profit for owners. In 2016–17, it had a large income, making it one of the biggest charities in the UK.

History of the GDST
Current GDST Schools
Former GDST Schools
GDST Logo History
Patrons of the Girls' Day School Trust
Archives
See Also

History of the GDST

Early Beginnings

The idea for the GDST came from a study in 1864. This study looked at schools for boys and girls. It found that there was not enough good education for girls.

Maria Grey and her sister Emily Shirreff wanted to fix this problem. They had written a book about how women needed more education. In 1871, they started a group called the "National Union for improvement of the Education of Women of All Classes." This group later became the Women's Education Union. Their goal was to create good, affordable day schools for girls of all backgrounds. Many important people supported them, including Henrietta Stanley, Baroness Stanley of Alderley and Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll.

How the GDST Started

The Union decided to create a company to raise money for their schools. They shared their plan at a big meeting in London in June 1872. The new company was named the Girls' Public Day School Company (GPDSC). Many of the same people from the Women's Education Union helped start the GPDSC. Princess Louise became its patron.

The Girls' Public Day School Company (1872–1905)

The GPDSC wanted to open high schools that offered excellent academic learning. They also wanted to teach good morals and religion. School fees were kept low. The schools aimed to become self-supporting over time. The GPDSC only opened new schools where they were most needed. Local people helped by buying shares in the company.

The first school opened in Chelsea, London, in January 1873. This school later moved and is now Kensington Preparatory School. In 1875, the GPDSC opened Norwich High School for Girls, its first school outside London. By 1905, the GPDSC owned 37 schools across the country.

Each school had three parts: a preparatory section, a junior section, and a senior section. A headmistress led each school with trained teachers. Girls took exams from universities like Oxford and Cambridge. The schools also trained students who wanted to become teachers.

Over time, the GPDSC changed its rules to become a charity. This allowed them to receive money from the government. By 1900, the GPDSC was educating over 7,000 students in 33 schools.

The Girls' Public Day School Trust Limited (1905–1950)

A new law in 1902 said that more children should have access to secondary education. This meant the GPDSC had to offer more free places. In 1905, the GPDSC changed its name to the Girls' Public Day School Trust Limited (GPDST). It became a charity.

The GPDST faced many money problems, especially during World War I and the Great Depression. World War II caused even more financial difficulties. A new education law in 1944 meant schools had to expand. The GPDST struggled to buy back shares from its original investors.

To help keep fees low, the GPDST joined a government program in 1944. This program gave money to private schools that selected students based on their academic ability. After the war, the GPDST used government funding and school fees to improve its schools. In 1950, a plan was approved that saved the GPDST from closing down. The word "Limited" was dropped from its name, and it became The Girls' Public Day School Trust.

The Girls' Public Day School Trust (1950–1998)

After paying off its debts, the GPDST started "The Friends of the Girls' Public Day School Trust" in 1951. This group helped raise money to improve the schools.

In 1976, the government program that gave money to schools like the GPDST ended. The GPDST schools had to become fully independent to continue selecting students based on their academic ability. The GPDST then created a separate charity to offer financial help to girls who could not afford the school fees.

The GPDST also joined another government program that helped pay for school places for some students. This program ended in 1997.

The Girls' Day School Trust (since 1998)

In 1998, the organization officially became the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST).

Around 2005, some GDST schools began to accept boys in certain year groups, like the sixth form. In 2007, the GDST managed 29 day schools for ages three to 18.

The GDST also helped with a government program to create "Academies." Two GDST schools, The Belvedere School in Liverpool and Birkenhead High School, became Academies. This meant they could no longer select students based on academic ability. However, the GDST still had a big say in how these schools were run.

In December 2021, the GDST made a decision about admitting transgender girls to its schools. In early 2022, the GDST decided to change its staff pension plan. This led to a strike by some teachers in February 2022. It was the first national strike in the GDST's long history.

Current GDST Schools

As of July 2018, these schools are run by the GDST:

Preparatory Schools

Kensington Preparatory School (Opened 1873)

Schools for Ages 3–18

Birkenhead High School Academy (Opened 1901)
Blackheath High School (Opened 1880)
Brighton Girls (Opened 1876)
Bromley High School (Opened 1883)
Croydon High School (Opened 1874)
Howell's School, Llandaff (Joined the GDST in 1980)
Newcastle High School for Girls (Opened 1895)
Northampton High School (Joined the GDST in 2006)
Northwood College for Girls (Opened 1878. Joined the GDST in 2014)
Norwich High School for Girls (Opened 1875)
Nottingham High School for Girls (Opened 1875)
Notting Hill & Ealing High School (Opened 1873)
Oxford High School (Opened 1875)
Portsmouth High School (Opened 1882)
Putney High School (Opened 1893)
Redmaids' High School (joined GDST 2024)
Royal High School, Bath (Opened 1875)
Sheffield High School (Opened 1878)
Shrewsbury High School (Opened 1885)
South Hampstead High School (Opened 1876)
Streatham & Clapham High School (Opened 1887)
Sutton High School (Opened 1884)
Sydenham High School (Opened 1887)
Wimbledon High School (Opened 1880)

School for Ages 11–18

The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool (Opened 1880 as Liverpool High School)

Former GDST Schools

These schools were once part of the GDST:

Bath High School, 1875. It later joined with another school to form the Royal High School.
Carlisle High School, 1884–1904. It became a public school.
Charters-Ancaster School, 1988–1995. It joined with Battle Abbey School.
Clapham Middle School, 1875–1904. It joined with Clapham High School.
Clapham High School, 1882–1938. It joined with Streatham Hill and Brixton High School.
Clapton and Hackney High School, 1875–1899.
Dover High School, 1888–1908.
Dulwich High School, 1878–1913. It closed in 1938.
Gateshead High School, 1876–1907. It joined with Central Newcastle High School.
Greycotes School, Oxford, c1990s. It joined with another school to form part of Oxford High School.
Heathfield School, Pinner Opened 1900. Joined the GDST in 1987. It joined with Northwood College in 2014.
Highbury and Islington High School, 1878–1911.
Hilden Grange School, 2005–2010. Its ownership changed.
Ipswich High School for Girls, 1878–2017. It was bought by another group.
Kensington High School, 1873–1948. Its junior school is now Kensington Preparatory School.
East Liverpool High School, 1891–1921. It joined with Liverpool High School.
Newton Abbot High School, 1881–1888.
Paddington and Maida Vale High School, 1878–1912. It became a public school.
The Squirrel School, Oxford, 1996–1997. It joined with Greycotes School to form part of Oxford High School.
Swansea High School, 1888–1895.
The Hamlets School, Liverpool, 1912–2010. It was sold in 2010.
Tunbridge Wells High School, 1883–1945.
Weymouth High School, 1880–1894.
York High School, 1880–1907. It became York College for Girls (now closed).

GDST Logo History

The GDST has had different logos over the years.

Around 2000, the logo showed the head of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. It was a green shape with the trust's name below it.
By 2006, Minerva's head was green on a white circle. The trust's name was next to it.
Around 2014, the logo was a red circle with the letters "gdst" in white. The trust's name was next to it.
In January 2018, the logo changed to four widely spaced letters "G D S T" with the full name below.

Patrons of the Girls' Day School Trust

Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (1872–1939)
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester